Families moving to Solomon Islands

Hi there. All I can tell you is that accomodation is expensive! So much so that I am staying at a hotel. When my wife and kids are ready to move over it will be a different story. Would love to compare notes and here how you are getting on. Kind regards, Mike Russell.

hello mike,how it is possible to meat friends or expats in Solomon ? it is easy?I French ? and I took pidgin.Do you have any contact before I coming ?I would like to stay long time in Solomon.Tank yu to mass..lukim yu..steph.

I'm afraid I have very limited contacts here having recently arrived. I went online looking for some but there is very little activity. I did hear one person speaking French at a cafe, and I heard from someone who attended that there is a French speakers group that meets occasionally. Unfortunately I don't have the persons's contact details.

Hi Mike and Tasha,

I hope you don't mind me getting in touch. I found your details on the Expat.com and I hope you might be able to help me with my strange request…

I am a Producer working on a television show called House Hunters International which follows English speaking expats in their quest to purchase a house abroad.  I wonder if you or any of your expat contacts might be interested in getting involved?!  Please find a little blurb about the show below:

House Hunters International is a half-hour program currently airing on the Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV) in America.
The series is designed to de-mystify the international home-buying process by going behind the scenes of a house hunt where buyers and their real estate agents tour 3 homes.

At its core, House Hunters International is a travel show concentrating on the idiosyncrasies of the locales and what makes them special and different.

You can watch some examples of the show here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0Q6DYe3QM - London from South Africa (1600 series) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLmhKEzm5kg - Dubai from Illinois (2000 series)


Please get in touch if you have any more questions about the show. I look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes and many thanks,

Michelle

Hi there. Thanks for the enquiry. All of the expats that I know about are not here for the long term and are renting (expensive) accomodation. Their contracts tend to be of limited or uncertain duration. I don't even think it is legal for expats to buy land - only lease, but probably can buy the buildings. Your best bet to follow up are the local real estate agents. Kind regards, Mike.

Thanks so much for your help with this Mike!I will certainly approach the local real estate agents but it might also be interested to do a story about people renting if it is not possible to buy there...Hmmm, please do drop me an email at michelle.james@leopardfilms.com if you think of anyone who might be interested.

Best wishes,

Michelle x

Hi Tasha

Have you arrived in SI? How are you finding it? Is it ok there with your baby? We are considering moving there from Australia for 2-3 years to Honiara and we have an 8 month old daughter. Would love to hear how you are settling in?

Thanks

Bianca

Hi everyone.
I notice that there hasn't been any activity on this thread for some time, but was hoping someone could give me some information on living in the Solomon Islands. I am from Scotland, currently living in FNQ Australia. My husband is a doctor and has been offered a job working at the hospital in Honiara.
We will be moving with our 10 year old daughter.
I wonder how safe an environment Honiara is to bring up a family?
How easy is it to find accommodation?
...and I guess, purely whether others living there would recommend a move??
I can't seem to find much information on the internet, so I greatly appreciate any time and advice given.
Thanks once more.
Donna-Marie:)

Hi. There are quite a few expats living here. Accomodation is expensive - we pay AUD3000 / month in rent. Most of the expats are pretty security conscious but I haven't heard of any incidences. My wife and children made a successful move here. There is a good international school for your ten-year old although it is also expensive - I think AUD2000 to join, and SBD20,000+ per year. There is not that much to do here. It helps if you are in to diving but there have been some smash-and-grabs at the local spot. My wife loves the bargain shopping at second-hand clothing shops.

hey Michele I am in Sydney Australia what Can I do for you?
Skype: walkerwb
walkerwb@gmail.com

cheers,

walker

that price is like living in Sydney so expensive. Solomons Island must be very good with jobs I'm trying to figure out How people can pay living+school fees+food etc...?
tks
Walker

oh yeah!

Hi
My husband and I are about to move to Honiara in August with our two year old daughter. Can anyone advise what the current conditions are like after the recent weather events ?
Also I am concerned about the isolation we may experience for my daughter - are there any mothers groups, childcare centers or great places to meet other families?
Appreciate any info anyone can share
Many thanks

Hi ClaireHelene,
Did you end up moving to SI? My husband and I are most likely coming with our nearly 2 year old son in March (both to full time positions) and we're just trying to find out what life in Honiara will really be like with a toddler- worrying about a worst case scenario of no outdoor spaces, poor housing, no group childcare situations...and limited chances to get out of town and enjoy the rest of the Solomons because of difficulties travelling with toddler. How are you finding it? What do you do on the weekends as a family?

Sian-M

Have you learned anything more?  I am considering moving to Honiara with my 18-month-old (and wife).  I'd like to know more about health care, life for toddlers/young children, etc.  All of your questions are my questions.

Thank you,

Charles

Hi
It seems like everyone has the same questions (it is also my case: how is everyday life? what to do on week-ends? is it ok with toddlers / young kids?) but no answers.
I guess some of you did end up living in Honiara.
It would be great if someone could take 10 minutes to provide a few answers.
Thanks a lot in advance

Same questions....  is there anyone who can say what it's like with young kids in Honiara...

Health care, what to do about malaria, mothers groups etc?

Thanks!  Pleeeeeease someone reply

Hello Zoe.
There used to be a mothers group that met at the Honiara hotel . This was a great place for swimming with the kids. Not sure if they still meet there?, used to be Friday mornings.
My daughters where raised in our village on Maliata.. We would get all our vaccination's done in Australia then go back to the village .You can get vaccinations locally there .BUT best to get everything you can in Australia beforehand, you can get more vaccination options in Australia. Malaria if you stay a long time there it is inevitable my children took local sourced tablets from the local clinic nearby (no Australian doctor will prescribe long term medication for children).Find a G/P in Australia that has worked or has a understanding of what relevant vaccinations you and your children will need, I have had many diseases from my time there and was lucky to find a doctor here that had worked in Honiara and he vaccinated me with all kinds of treatment . I went almost 3-4 tears without getting Malaria, But when I got it went down fast, Children seem to be more resilient than adults so don't forget to give yourself as much priority as you would them. There is a lot more I could say and suggest, The Quality of your life there is dependant on too many things to list now. if you are interested you can reply back .
All the best to you and your family
Maliata.

Thank you. This is very helpful...   if a little scary...

My husband would be moving first with the UN, and can hopefully investigate options before we move

We are not Australian though, but point taken re the meds. Will make sure to consult a tropical medicine specialist in advance

Is the national hospital ok if kids were to get malaria?

Hello Zoe
On the positive .If I were to get Malaria again I would prefer treatment in the Solomon's. doctors readily diagnose you there quicker and for the correct strain of the malaria .
I came back to Australia for treatment and got used as a medical example and got miss diagnosed from the start.
Don't forget about Dengue fever I have had it twice. There is no preventative medication for this . If you get a strain related to the Solomon's and travel  to another country with dengue fever of a different strain and get sick ,the outcome is not good.
Every bad sickness I got was always from Honiara?. these days as soon as I arrive I go get my ticket for the ship and head to our home on maliata. I lived in Honiara off and on for almost 6 years , I enjoyed it but it is not the jewel in the crown when it comes to the Solomon islands. The local hospital or #9 as it is called is different but all in all it is the only one . Local clinics can treat you equally as well. Diagnosing malaria is not rocket science identify the strain and administer relevant medicine. The Villages way up in the hills and back over towards the weather coast have cerebral malaria over there . Don't go there.
I have been fortunate to get some good advise from a leading infectious disease expert after many doctors could not correctly identify dengue fever due to the false positives and positive false that go with the diagnosis .
A lot of my words may seem negative but I am realistic about what I say my life changed after my second dose of dengue my health is compromised for life.

Thank you....  sounds like you really suffered
We have dengue in Sri Lanka also, but maybe less prevalent that Honiara.

Will do some more research and see...

May be in touch again with more questions.
But thank you so much for this advice

Zoe